We undertook a 15-month pilot to analyse the impact of combining these two stations. This included reviewing response times and availability of our fire engines. Following the pilot, we want to permanently relocate the Yarmouth crew and fire engine to Freshwater, continuing to enable a two-vehicle response in the west wight area of the Island.

The reasons why we can combine Freshwater and Yarmouth stations are:

• Yarmouth and Freshwater are geographically close to each other, being just 2.6 miles apart.
• Yarmouth sees a low number of incidents, averaging just 26 per year.
• The on-call staff from Yarmouth have already been working from Freshwater since October 13, 2023, proving that this plan works well in real-life situations.
• Recruiting on-call firefighters in Yarmouth has proven challenging due to the demographics of the area, making it one of the hardest stations to recruit to across Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
• Moving the crew to Freshwater permanently provides us with enough firefighters to crew a second fire engine from this station, improving our ability to respond when you need us.
• Retaining a second fire engine in West Wight ensures operational resilience across the wider Isle of Wight is maintained.

Combining Yarmouth and Freshwater stations represents a cost-saving of £108,000 annually.

By freeing up an underutilised station, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority (HIWFRA) can consider various options for the Yarmouth property, including selling or leasing it for alternative uses. This may further contribute to additional savings from the land or site.

We will also continue our prevention activities in the area to protect those who need it most, and continue to work with others to make our buildings safer.